It seems John Mayer has learned a thing or two about kissing and telling!

Just a few weeks after splitting from girlfriend Katy Perry, Mayer, 35, who once blabbed about his romance with Jennifer Aniston and famously referred to Jessica Simpson as "sexual napalm," stayed uncharacteristically tight-lipped about his personal life on The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing Tuesday.

"It was a very private relationship going in, it was a very private relationship during, and it's a private relationship still," said the "Waiting on the World to Change" singer, though he did confirm the breakup. "I'm on the same journey as everyone else. Coupling is a tricky thing."

Mayer and Perry, 28, began dating last summer, and after a brief split, reconciled in the fall. In February, things seemed to be more serious than ever, when Mayer gave the "Last Friday Night" singer a Daniel Gibbings ruby ring.

But according to Mayer, life is much different these days, and not just because he's suddenly single. Since undergoing surgery to repair his vocal chords, the once-perennial night owl has cut back the drinking to focus on singing and writing.

"I really loved, loved, loved scotch . . . [but] it's just like applying a shellac of poison. It's just a delicious, wonderful poison," he explained. "I had to really dial it down. And I'm a little more boring now."